Basiliscus of Byzantium

Basiliscus of Byzantium (430-477) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 475 to 476, both succeeding and preceding Zeno of Byzantium.

Biography
Basiliscus was born in 430 to the House of Verinus, and he became a general of the Byzantine Empire. In 468 he led the massive invasion of North Africa, which had been overrun by the Vandals, which turned out to be a disaster. However, Basiliscus took advantage of the unpopularity of Emperor Zeno of Byzantium and overthrew him. He promoted Miaphysite Christianity instead of Orthodox Christianity, and he was responsible for appointing only those close to him to government positions. Zeno faced no opposition when he deposed Basiliscus, but the Eastern Roman Empire that he inherited was one without a western counterpart; the Western Roman Empire fell to barbarians while the two Byzantine emperors quarrelled.